At its Tuesday meeting the Lafayette City Parish Council voted to allow Mary Morrison to serve the final year of the District 1 seat vacated by her husband. The council also broke with custom in electing its new chairman.
At its Tuesday meeting the Lafayette City Parish Council voted to allow Mary Morrison to serve the final year of the District 1 seat vacated by her husband, Purvis Morrison, who was sworn in Monday as the new mayor of Scott. Mary Morrison was one of five residents of the district who submitted a résumé in a bid for the seat. The Lafayette Home Rule Charter prohibits the new councilwoman from seeking election to the seat in October.
Council members also elected District 4 Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux to serve a chair for 2011 and District 5 Councilman Jared Bellard as vice chair, replacing outgoing Chairman Jay Castille (District 2) and Vice Chair Keith Patin (District 8). Boudreaux's election was a departure from custom for this council: Members have traditionally chosen to elevate the previous year's vice chair to the chairman's post, but Patin, who was nominated for chairman by District 7 Councilman Don Bertrand, received only three votes (from himself, Bertrand and District 6's Sam Dore) to Boudreaux's six. Voting for Boudreaux were Morrison, Castille, Brandon Shelvin (District 3), Boudreaux, Bellard and William Theriot (District 9).